It's all about the yellow socks

February 1, 2010December 9, 2014

Burlycross History

The original Burlycross blog what is it page.

I’m an addict, there I’ve said it. Isn’t that supposed to be the first step to a cure. I thought so too, and It seemed a Titanium injection was the wonder drug do it all answer. This blog started as a log of my mental do it all mileage on one very special machine untill it all started to go wrong.

I now admit I’m incurable, I need many varied bikes in my life, if nothing else, so that one is always ready to ride when I break the others. And I’ve even found some curly bars I love off road. And the space problem, I just moved to a bigger man cave. Bikes are Ace! you deserve plenty.

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The original ramblings remain here for posterity:

I love bikes of all sorts, so I ride a lot; A few bad winters ago I always seemed to be caught on the wrong bike for the conditions when commuting, crap tyres no clearance in mud and snow.
As I once more trip over the garage full of bikes, decide on the days hack only to find I’d robbed the brakes off it…Doh! A realisation that a bike cull was needed. The Cyclocross bike, the Singlespeed, the hardtail, the Fixie and the pub/Winter hack……..Why! oh Why!
I’m not claiming to be original, who can be in the world of cycling. There’s not much that’s genuinely new; Bandwagon, Niche’s, Industry hype, count me out, it’s about the ride.

A Burly Cyclo Cross bike was my plan (I hate the American term of Monster Cross and Burly sounds more Anglo-Saxon) and there’s no place for curly bars on an all rounder. So what are the requirements ;

Big wheels, Ok If you must; we have to call them 29er wheels!

Disc brakes

Singlespeed friendly (winter clay round here so essential)

Corrosion resistant ( I don’t clean bikes often)

Good tyre clearance

Light but able to take abuse for years

FUN! It’s got to be fast!

Then the fun bit, the Shopping! The parts are now easily available to make this happen. This is a Log of the project, a record of my choices good and downright stupid. Mainly so I can look back in future when my brain fades, and hell it makes the web more fun. If it helps or amuses you along the way then that’s a bonus, welcome along.

I’ve been riding and racing bikes in most formats since 1995; Adequately I’d like to think! This bike will have a hard life.

Singular Pegasus

One of the first Titanium Singular Pegasus frames made (No 3) ticked all the boxes and was carefully built, uber-light. This blog tells the story.
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That was then, so how did it work out;
Well the Pegasus was such a revelation it was virtually the only bike I rode for 10 months, which considering my love for full bouncy bikes had all those that knew me taking note. It’s been ridden on road, rigid, front suss, singlespeed, lots of different gear set ups and has been on the podium in quite a few different races and showed a few downhillers up too. Some build weights for the Pegasus are listed below.

Then I broke it……. one of the original criteria not met then. Bad chainsuck at the BIGDOG weakened the chainstay which then cracked when the frozen winter hoof strewn tracks of Northants combined with cross tyres took their toll.
My problem, Sam had the frame fixed for me, a whole new chainstay welded in at a cost of 300 Euro, so Ti has some benefits over Aluminium at least.
While the Frame was away at Nevi for repair I had a pile of bits that needed a winter home, in stepped the Ragley TD-1 at a good discount offer. The original intention was use it a few months then sell it on, as reports filtered through of several more broken Pegasus’s I kinda just hung onto it as the stronger option. The Burlier Cross so to speak. Inevitable comparisons

The Contender: Ragley TD-1

Now slouch in a few cross races either,I love racing these with flat wide bars just to annoy the roadies ;-)Rage in Cyclo-X rigid Mode: Rockets Rons, XT solid = 18.6 lbs

It’s now 2012. The Pegasus is dead and will not be mentioned on here again. Gentlemans agreement, so don’t ask, sorry. The TD-1 as a replacement has just not set the world on fire for me. Too head down in the dirt to be fun, it has proved to be quite a usefull winter urban all round hack though, and is a solid Bikepacking tool which so far has handled all the abuse thrown its way.

So the original premise of junking multiple task specific bikes has gone out the window, in steps the Pace RC129. It’s heavy and will corrode and chip but it’s won my heart on the trails. More will follow……I’m just a bike junkie, lets face it I can’t quit.